Discussion 5: Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare)
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) of 2010 is discussed in chapter 11 of your textbook (Riegelman, 2019). Before 2010, 15 percent of the population lacked health insurance, and after 2010 the uninsured has decreased to 10 percent of the population (Riegelman, 2019; Schneider, 2017). At first glance, the percentage change does not seem very significant given all the commotion that was going on at the time. For this assignment, you are asked to look further into Affordable Care Act, why is the percentage difference of uninsured only 5 percent? Why are people choosing not to get insurance? What are the pros and cons of the Affordable Care Act? These are a few questions you should be able to answer before posting your educated opinion to the discussion.
Please note, starting in the 2018 coverage year, people will no longer be fined for not having health coverage. Please ensure your post has current and credible sources.
Directions:
Analyze the Affordable Care Act, through the view of public health, below are a few sources to help you.
Compare our ACA to another high-income country healthcare system, below are sources to help you. You may find other credible sources of your choosing.
Post your educated opinion with a minimum of 300 words by answering the guiding questions. Make sure to use proper grammar and punctuation in this college-level course in all correspondence. Please avoid “text” or “twitter speak” when corresponding.
A rubric is available for your viewing (click on the three dots on top right of the discussion post).
Reply to one (1) classmate’s response. After you type your initial post by Friday evening at 11:59 pm Pacific Time, then read through the other entries and reply directly to one classmate who has an OPPOSING view on the ACA by the following Sunday 11:59pm Pacific Time. Make sure your response is respectful to your classmates’ opposing point of view as we are here to learn from each other’s perspective. If there are no opposing point of view by classmates, this criterion will not be considered when grading. However, even in such a case you should still make the effort to submit a reply.
To clarify:
“Continue” = your point of view is that the ACA should continue to exist to help those with difficulty in obtaining health insurance.
“Stop” = your point of view is that the ACA should stop to exist; people need to find their own way to get health insurance without the help from government.
NOTE: Help classmates identify your viewpoint easily without having to read all the post (everyone’s time is precious, let’s help each other use it wisely). To do this, use the first line/title to list your point of view “stop” or “continue” so other students can easily search opposite posts of their point of view. Then hit enter and start your post. For example:
Example:
Continue
My point of view on the Affordable Care Act is…..because…..
Guiding Question(s):
Provide your public health educated opinion (based on the resources provided or you may find your own source) as to whether the Affordable Care Act should “Continue” or “Stop” being part of our insurance system. Justify your answer.
To clarify:
“Continue” = your point of view is that the ACA should continue to exist and be part of our insurance system helping those with difficulty in obtaining health insurance.
“Stop” = your point of view is that the ACA should stop to exist; people need to find their own way to get health insurance without the help from the government.
With either point of view (for the ACA to “stop” or “continue”), please provide an (1) idea (minimum) on how the ACA could be improved.
Select another high-income country with a centralized health care systemLinks to an external site. and explain one (1) advantage of their system over the one from our nation (USA). In your educated opinion, is the majority of the population from your chosen country happy with their health care system? Explain.
Tip:
I have noticed students using ChatGPT in discussions, more and more often. You do not need to use ChatGPT in my class to pass with an “A”, however, it is my hope that, if you choose to use it, it will be used ethically and responsibly, therefore, I want to clarify my expectation of its use in this class.
In this class, I value:
Student’s voice and point of view.
Student’s originality.
Student’s effort, specifically when I see the student’s improvement throughout the class (i.e.: spelling, sentence structure, critical thinking, problem solving, and the ability to apply topic material in real life situation/skills),
Student’s proactiveness in asking for clarity, when, and/or if an item is unclear, and utilizing my feedback as a guide for improvements.
ChatGPT is a tool that can be used to supplement regular studies, therefore, use it as a source. Specifically, if you use ChatGPT to obtain ideas, it is a source that needs to be referenced. All sources need to be cited to provide credit to the author and to support your point of view.
Below is how ChatGPT needs to be referenced in APA style. For detailed information see reference with link below:
OpenAI. (2023). ChatGPT (Mar 14 version) [Large language model]. https://pasteChatGPTwebsitehere/chat
Parenthetical citation: (OpenAI, 2023)
Narrative citation: OpenAI (2023)
McAdoo, T. (2023, April 7). How to Cite ChatGPT. American Psychological Association. How to cite ChatGPT (apa.org)
Reference
Amadeo, K. (2019). 10 Obamacare Pros and Cons. The Balance. Retrieved from: https://www.thebalance.com/obamacare-pros-and-cons-3306059Links to an external site.
The Commonwealth Fund (2024). International Health Care System Profiles. Retrieved from: https://www.commonwealthfund.org/international-health-policy-center/system-profilesLinks to an external site.
Harvard T. H. Chang (2024) School of Public Health. What Can US Learn from Other Health Systems? Retrieved from: https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/features/what-can-the-u-s-learn-from-the-health-systems-of-other-countries/Links to an external site.
McAdoo, T. (2023, April 7). How to Cite ChatGPT. American Psychological Association. How to cite ChatGPT (apa.org)
Riegelman, R., & Kirkwood, B. (2019). Public health 101: Improving community health (3rd ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Schneider, M. (2017). Introduction to Public Health (5th edition). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
